The Seventh Era
by Ispell2
Summary: It's the seventh era of Tamriel, and thousands of years have passed since the Dovahkiin made peace with the dragons that would, and killed the dragons that wouldn't. But one mystery remains...
1. Chapter 1

Danny pushed his cigarette into the stone fence he was sitting on and got up. He knew that if the guard caught him he'd be served on a platter to an unmentionable Daedra. "Hey kids, don't smoke!", that's what the school specials said. Yeah right. It'd hurt someone who wasn't the top of their Restoration class. Under strict rule of the New Empire, they had cracked down on a lot of stuff. Riften had become squeaky clean, and there was no more corruption in Markarth. There wasn't any fun anymore. No adventure, no more crypts to find, nothing. Danny liked the old days better. Well, he thought he'd like them.

He was only a kid. A seventeen year old Breton. He'd never lived in the days of yore, hell, not even his great-great-great-great grandparents grandparents had lived then. But he liked to read about them, the Dragonborn and her accomplishments. His mother once took him and his sister to up to the Throat of the World on his Last Seed vacation. Mirion had been less exited about the trip, but Danny took so many pictures that two walls of his room were papered. Most importantly on that trip, he had snuck something big out. He reached under his Faon (It's something like a hoodie), and pulled out a fossil on a chain.

A piece of the dragon Paarthanux. One of his smaller bones. Danny wasn't necessarily a bad kid, he just did what he wanted, and was careful about it. He rubbed the bone and smiled, remembering the trip fondly. "What are you doing?", a sarcastic smooth voice asked from behind him. He tucked the necklace in to his Faon, and turned around quickly. It was one of the girls from his school, and one he had his eye on lately. She was a halfling, part Nord, part Dark Elf, and it added elegance to an otherwise strong build and face.

"Nothing.", Danny replied coolly. The girl leaned to one side and looked at him decidedly. "You were smoking, weren't you?", she said with slight accusation. "Maybe." "Oh come off it, I can smell it on you, and the rest of the roll at right at your feet." Danny looked down worriedly. "Ah ha! So you were!", she laughed. Danny rolled his eyes and looked back at her. "But really, you might want to move away from here before the Street Patrol comes and finds you next to a smoldering cigarette. C'mon."

Danny didn't need the advice twice, and walked off with her. "I'm Sevami. I think I've seen you at school.", she said reaching her hand out. "Danny. You're in my Math class." "Oh! You're the guy that made that drawing of a-" "Yeah. On the desk. Hey, it's not like Mr. Oresman was paying attention." They shared a laugh, and stopped in front of a monument to the Old Empire. Sevarmi looked at a clock on a building behind them and started. "Oh crap! I'm late for sword practice! Hey, I've got to go, but maybe we could hang out some time!", she smiled to him and ran off. Danny ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. He'd like that.

How about now? He slipped through an alley and ran by the right wall to an almost unnoticeable slit, and slid through. He knew a shortcut to the Old Battleground. Whiterun had expanded its city limits, and what was once a wide plain was now part of the city. Gjukar's Monument was still there, of course, but it was in the middle of the Old Battleground, which had been turned in to a sports field, mainly for the swordplay teams to use. This shortcut wasn't one used by the general populace; it was filled with thieves, the mad, and even skeevers, but Danny was once with the shadows, and no one seemed to notice him.

He came around a corner and jumped over a fence, and walked toward the main building for the Old Battleground. He pushed open the door. "I'd like to try out for the Sjak Swordplay team.", he told the woman behind the front desk. She looked up at him with a cynical look in her eyes, sighed, and ripped a piece of paper from a small pad. "Here. Hand this to the big Khajiit guy in field A.", she said, giving him the paper. He went through the door on the other side of the room. _"Wait. Which one is A?"_, he thought, and looked around himself.

Danny smacked his forehead. _"The one with the big Khajiit, dumbass!" _He walked over to field A, and approached the Khajiit. He was sitting on a fold out chair watching two kids spar with interest. The kids in the team were in a circle. "Stop slouching! Keep your wrist firm, but don't make it tight!", he yelled at a young Khajiit boy of about thirteen. Danny tapped his shoulder, and the Khajiit turned his head sharply. "**WHAT**.", he snapped. Danny took a step back. Even though he thought himself to be tough, this guy scared him. He recollected himself, and held the paper out to the Khajiit.

"I'd like to try out for the team. Sir.", he added quickly. The Khajiit snatched the paper out of his hand. "Stop!", he growled at the two kids sparring. They abruptly put sheathed their swords and joined the circle. He turned back to Danny. "So, you want to join the Whiterun Rams, huh? Please. You're just a toothpick little Breton boy, without any aggression or skill.", he growled. Danny looked him in the eye, his blood boiling. "Do you know who the Forsworn were, or are you so stupid you don't even know a simple piece of history?", Danny spat, instantly regretting it, but not letting his fear show.

The Khajiit glared at him, and laughed. "This one has a spine! Alright kid, you can try out. Just, don't embarrass yourself. You don't look like you've had any training. Training armor's over there, i'll pick you out a partner. You'll call me Coach K'maaiq.", the Khajiit told him, standing up. Danny walked over to the bin on the side of the field that the Coach had pointed at, and dug through the spare armor. Too big, too small, by the Nine, is that a fungus?! He pulled the best fit out and took off his Faon, and slid the thick white plastic over his shirt and pants and attached all of the buckles.

He dug through the bin again for helmet, and attached a sword to his put the helmet on and walked back to the circle. "Look who showed up!", Coach yelled across the field at a figure in armor. They had different armor, theirs was more elegant and was gold colored, much nicer than the rest of the armor. They walked past the coach and joined the circle. "Because you were so late, I'll just have you test out this new meat! They say they want to join; I say, they'll have to do at least decent battle with you."

The gold clad figure stepped in to the middle of the circle with Danny. "Take your stance!", Coach yelled. "Act like you're on a horse newbie!" Danny took the horse stance, and put his hand on the hilt of the sword like his opponent did. "Aaand... Draw!" Before he could get the sword out of the sheath, his opponent had knocked him down, and their sword was hovering over his throat. Coach sighed. "Let's try this again. And, this time, let him get at least two strikes in before you knock his lights out." The gold opponent nodded to him, and reached their hand out for Danny to take.

Thinking quickly, he pulled them down with him, rolled over, got himself up, and while the opponent was still sitting up, he pretended to swing the sword on their neck. Coach clapped, and a few of the other kids cheered. "Surprise! That's a good skill to have! I'm sold; congrats kid, you're on the team!" The gold armored kid pulled off her helmet and threw it down beside her, still in the grass. "But coach! That's not fair!" "It's not against the rules either, Sevami!" "Oh!", Danny said surprised. He hadn't realized they were Sevami. He had known it, but he hadn't noticed. He pulled his helmet off too.

"Danny?!", Sevami said exasperatedly. "Hi.", he grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

Sevami was fuming. "What in OBLIVION are you doing here?!", she yelled. "I like swords. The team sounded like fun.", he replied. He didn't know any other way to be than obnoxious. Sevami picked her helmet back up, and went to join the circle. All through practice she glared at Danny, clearly trying to make him burst in to flame with her mind. Danny grew a little worried; This was _not_ how you pick up a girl. He could reconcile at later practices, or maybe after this one. But if he slipped up today, even a little to make her feel better, he'd get kicked off the team.

After awhile, when he glanced her way, Sevami seemed to look less and less like she wanted him dead. He breathed a sigh of relief, and his sparring partner, the Khajiit boy from before, slamming the hilt of his practice blade in to his side. Danny gasped for air and hunched over, throwing a look of panic over way to the coach. He was yelling at another group. The Khajiit lowered his head. "Are you okay?", he asked Danny in a half growl half mewl. A Khajiit boy's cracking voice was certainly a sound to hear.

"I'm okay", Danny puffed, clearly still blown away. The Khajiit tilted his head, but resumed stance. "I'm M' Hajeesh. Call me Haj.", he said. "Danny", Danny replied as he gathered himself back up. "So, you're seriously going after Sevami?", Haj asked suddenly, as he swung at Danny. Danny blocked the strike, and pushed him back. "Maybe. Why?", Danny said nonchalantly. "Because she's pretty high up. Not saying she's out of your league, I'm saying she's out of everyone's league. Half the guys here, and some of the girls, have tried and lost a limb. Ticking her off isn't a good tactic, either."

"Because making her mad was my intention, of course.", Danny answered sarcastically. "Just saying. Hey i'm going to get some hotbread (Pizza) after practice, want to come? I can tell you the ins and outs of the glamorous big-money world of semi-pro Fencing." "Uh, sure, I guess.", Danny accepted. He didn't know Haj very well, but hey, he didn't know anyone _else_ either. Practice took about two hours, and after it, Danny was soaking. He pulled off the sticky plastic armor, and threw it in the bin. He had _got _to get some armor tonight.

He took off his shirt, as well, and dramatically rung it out. Haj walked up to him, followed by Sevami and two other people, a Nord man about twenty years old, and a Nord girl about Haj's age, thirteen. "She's making us take them with us. I didn't know that I could _get _an Indian burn.", Haj whispered. "Hey, Sevami, no hard feelings right?", Danny told her, putting his whole foot in his mouth. Haj gave him a look of horror. Sevami showed no change in emotion. "I'm over it. So, you and Haj are getting some hotbread?", she said perhaps as little _too _sharply.

"Yeah. Uh, you and your friends want to join us?" "Sure.", she smiled. It wasn't a regular smile. It was a smile with vengeance. "I'm Ilsabeth, and this is my big brother Sven.", the Nord girl told Danny, pointing at the hulking man next to her. It was an odd group, a towering mass of Nord man and a small platinum haired girl. Ilsa was bouncy looking, with curly pigtails and stickers all over her armor, and Sven looked like the kind of guy a mobster sends to collect, or wrestle a bear.

"Danny", he said only glancing at Ilsa to stare at Sven, who intimidated even the cocky Danny. Sven started down at Danny in a scowl. "What're _you_ lookin' at?", Sven growled. They glared at each other, though Danny was cowering on the inside. He really didn't want to get in it with this guy. Suddenly, Sven perked up and smiled. "Yeah, I guess I am pretty big.", he said in a upbeat manner. He was just as bubbly as his little sister. Ilsa and Sven both beamed at the rest of the group.

* * *

As the rest of the group sat inside the Hotbread place, Danny stepped outside and lit another cigarette. The sky had become a blur of red and orange and blue, and that was a good sign for him. There was a morning patrol, a noon patrol, an evening patrol, and a night patrol. There was no twilight patrol. He hid in a not so hidden place, on the roof of the Hotbread store, and breathed in the smooth smoke. "Hey. Can you blow a smoke ring?", a ground voice said from behind him. He turned to see Haj behind him.

"I hope this doesn't sully your opinion of me.", he joked. "Nah. My brothers do a lot worse.", Haj replied coolly, leaning over the railing with Danny. They stood looking at the sky for a long moment. "Can... Can I have a cigarette?", Haj asked Danny quietly. Danny raised his eyebrows. Himself to be a rebel, sure. But Haj? No way. "It's cause' my brothers are always raggin' on me for not drinking skooma or eating moonsugar and stuff. I can't, actually. I tried once when my dad snuck me a bite behind my mom's back, and my mouth swelled up like a balloon. I was sick for days. There's a scar in my mouth where they had to drain"-

Haj cut off when he saw Danny gag a little. "Anyway, they're always making fun of me, cause' I can't get high or have any of what they call fun. I know. A Khajiit who can't use Skooma. Tragic." Haj rolled his eyes. "But, I could do a lot of other stuff. I could use malmammoth (A drug I just made up where you burn mammoth hairs and a marijuana like substance, mix it in to a paste, bake it, and smoke it of snort it. Not real, mind you.), or I could drink, but I know I couldn't do it. Too much of a risk at my age. I mean, thirteen years old is not exactly twenty years old. I can't even drive yet."

"But I could smoke. I mean, you do, and you're only, what, two years older than me?" "Four." "Whatever. Point is, will you give me a cig?", Haj asked him. Danny put the cigarette to his lips again, and thought a moment. "We're friends, right?", he asked the young Khajiit. Haj had a fazed but happy look on his face, and nodded. Danny looked at the sky again, remembering there was half a hotbread down in the store waiting for himself and for Haj. He looked back to his newfound friend. "Not in your lifetime. I do it because... I don't know why. I guess it makes me look like a rebel, and I can get rid of all the bad effects."

"But if you have a reason to be smoking, you shouldn't do it. You should fix the problem that led you there." He flicked the last ashes off of the cigarette, and left the foam filter on the ground, smoldering next to Haj's feet.

* * *

Danny climbed down the metal ladder and jumped the last three steps, gave Haj a salute, and walked back in to the hotbread place. He looked around the small dim lit room, and found the others sitting at a corner booth, recognized in the darkness by the giant form of Sven. He walked over with a toothy grin, and slid in to the booth, delighted in finding that the one he was sitting by was Sevami. She rolled her eyes and continued talking to Ilsabeth. Danny didn't care. Girl stuff probably. He tapped her shoulder. "Have we ordered yet, or?", he trailed off.

"No. We had to wait for you to finish your delinquent happenings to place an order for food. What do you think?", she said sarcastically. "So, yes?", he said. "Spot on, genius." "I'm detecting some hostility there. You're not still mad at me for kicking your ass, are you?", he smirked. She caught him by surprise and smashed his foot underneath her boots. "Not at all.", she said, as Danny grabbed his ankle and tried not to cry. He waved a waiter down for some ice. Sevami looked a little happier.

Danny took off his shoe and peeled the sock off, to which Sevami said disgustedly, "Oh, Gods, why are you doing that?". "I wouldn't have to if you hadn't **_broken my foot_**.", he replied, pressing the ice on to his foot. "Quit being a baby, or i'll tell them to put pineapple on your food." He stuck his tongue out at her, and let go of his foot. "Didn't Haj go after you?", Sven asked Danny. "I'm here! I'm here! I had to do something first!", Haj yelled after him, sliding in next to Sven. "You got anchovies on mine, right?", he asked. "Sure did.", Sven said back.

A few minutes later, three steaming pies were brought out and lain before them. Everyone promptly started chowing down, and no one touched Haj's food. Danny felt like he'd had a pretty good day. And, maybe he was right.


End file.
